‘I’m grateful.’
‘My patron has a high regard for you, monsieur,’ Drouhin replied, as they exited onto a terrace with a magnificent view of the harbour, with Cal wondering why that should be. ‘He is most anxious that, if we can assist you, we should.’
There were courtesies to get out of the way while they waited for a servant to bring a tray of coffee – how was your journey, the weather, etc, which, contrary to the British view, is an international obsession, not just one on which Albion is fixated. Once the coffee was served and the manservant gone, it was time for affaires. Little explanation was required given from where he had come.
It was immediately obvious, though, in Drouhin’s expression, that his view of what was possible tended to the pessimistic, not that his visitor was surprised. The general sentiment amongst those who might be able to provide a supply of weapons – and for what was required they would need to be governments – was unlikely to be sympathetic to the cause of the Republicans in Spain, and even if they were, such states bordered on and were fearful of the major dictators.
Belgium clung to its neutrality in desperation, to avoid a repeat of 1914, Holland was not a major manufacturer, though well disposed to the Republic, while Czechoslovakia, by many miles the place with the required levels of production and quality of arms, would show extreme caution with Hitler’s Germany on its western border.
‘Has Poland rearmed?’
‘Not as much as it should and, as you must know, monsieur, they have a military government, so would incline more towards the Spanish Nationalists than the Republicans. There are, we are informed, people in certain sections of the Ministry of War in Warsaw who are open to bribery, so it may be an avenue to pursue.’
As information this was touched with gold; even inactive for years, Sir Basil Zaharoff had maintained a private intelligence network that would have shamed most national governments – he called it ‘keeping his hand in’, but really it was a game the old man played because he could afford it, having amassed a vast fortune, said to be the largest in Europe, over many decades of trading arms, making investments and buying and selling businesses.
He also traded on the romance of his nickname; many was the minor functionary in a state enterprise who did not require a cash payment for small amounts of information, people who were content to know in their own hearts, and possibly to let on with a nod and a wink to their friends or mistresses, that they were a friend of such a man. When all these snippets were added together, what looked pretty innocuous in isolation gave the old spider at the centre of the web a comprehensive picture.
‘Would that run to names?’
‘Only if my patron sanctions it, but added to that I will put out enquiries in Sweden and various contacts in South America.’ Drouhin gave a thin smile then. ‘Some of whom you know. But those who supply government to government are not numerous and are scrutinising very hard the End User Certificates, so even if you used a country like Argentina or Uruguay you would have difficulty in explaining the quantity you require.’
‘And one sniff of Spain?’
‘Exactly. In some sense it is a pity that Mexico backed the Republican side so quickly – they would have been perfect.’
The servant reappeared with the news that the master was awake and eager to see his visitor. Admonished not to overtire him, Cal was shown into a large bedroom, lit only by what sunshine came through slatted blinds, with Sir Basil propped up on pillows. Even in the gloom, Cal could see his skin was translucent and he could hear his somewhat laboured breathing. Not without a sense of drama himself, he guessed he was witnessing the end of an era.
‘My good friend, come and sit close by the bed so I do not have to do more than whisper.’
As soon as he obliged, he explained to the old man what he had just told his private secretary. The response was the same, followed by a bout of coughing which had Cal grasping his skeletal hand, surprised at the strength still evident in the grip.
‘You must tell me why you have become involved in this.’
There was no gilding it, he gave it to Sir Basil as it was, well aware that he too would not be sympathetic to anarchists and the like; luckily he had a visceral hatred of communists and through husky breath he rehearsed some of the crimes of the Soviets in much the same manner as Cal already knew, but with more accuracy, given his sources, his conclusion that unpalatable as it was to support far-left socialists, such criminals as existed in Moscow should be stopped.
‘But how?’ Cal asked. ‘Drouhin was not encouraging.’
‘Many times in my life I have been told that this and that was impossible, only to find a way, and I think now there must be a route to solving this.’ The old man coughed again, gripping even tighter Cal’s hand. ‘You have no idea how it cheers me you have come, Callum – you do not mind me calling you that?’
‘I was not aware you knew it to be my name.’
The frail chest heaved as he laughed. ‘Now you are being disingenuous, for the only other possibility is that you are foolish and I know that not to be true. So, you must leave this with me. You have given me a project and to find a solution will fill my last days on this earth.’
‘Sir,’ Cal protested, only to be tutted into silence.
‘You will go back to Barcelona?’
‘I will, to tell them what is possible, or in this case, unlikely to be so.’
‘Then it is also possible you will not see me again, and before you protest once more, death comes to us all, and if you mourn there are many who will not. They will hope that Satan, having got me into his clutches, is making me pay for the crimes and sins I am accused of.’ Another hacking laugh followed as it took several seconds for him to get his breath. ‘Not a few of which I am proud to have committed.’
For all he had protested, Cal had seen too much death in his time to be in any other mind than that the old man was right; it could not be long, even if he had, which he would, the best medical care going.
‘You know, Callum, I will not apologise if I do meet my maker. I will say to him, as I have often said to my accusers, it takes two to make a bargain. If you wish to call it a sin to sell weapons of death, then is it not also a sin to buy them and use them, which I never did?’
‘You may find, when you get to the Pearly Gates, he’s looking for some Maxim guns to keep his angels in line.’
A bony finger went up. ‘A good point, but I shall make him pay a high price if he does.’
The head went back onto the pillows, he was tiring, and Cal made the noises to leave, but the old man was not finished.
‘I am not sorry to be leaving now, for it is going to be bad, the future, Callum, very bad. In my lifetime the ways we have found to kill our fellow humans have increased so much, until we had slaughter on an industrial scale in the Great War. But I fear it will be worse than even that. There is an evil abroad I do not think was on this earth when I first walked upon it.’ The last grip was the hardest. ‘Stalin and Hitler are a different breed of monster.’
‘Mussolini?’
‘Is a fat fool running a bankrupt nation of soldiers who do not want to fight, and who can blame them? For all his boasting he is as nothing – but the others, take care, my young friend, not to be consumed by them and their schemes. Now, ask Drouhin to come and see me.’
* * *
The arrangement was that whatever was found out would be delivered to the Ritz Hotel in Barcelona with the coded name, Mr Maxim. Cal did not enquire as to how it would be sent; he trusted both the old man and his assistant to secure the secrecy of the communication. As Drouhin imparted this to him he could tell by his tone that he was wondering if the named address would still be in Republican hands. Cal did not bother to suggest anything different – if it was not, then what was delivered would be redundant.